U.S. tells ASML it is concerned China may possess top EUV chip tool

ASML representatives told Bloomberg that the U.S. Commerce Department, in a formal note delivered in early June, raised intelligence-based concerns that a Chinese state-linked laboratory may have obtained an EUV system. ASML reiterated that it has never shipped an EUV machine to China and that its most advanced sales there are limited to deep-ultraviolet (DUV) tools.

EUV lithography is the only proven technology in mass production for 3 nanometre and below semiconductor manufacturing, and ASML holds an effective global monopoly on both patents and production. The possibility that a unit reached China by other channels would represent a major breach of the Dutch-U.S. export-control framework in place since 2023.

Washington has asked The Hague to ensure ASML tightens controls over service and spare parts; Dutch trade minister Reinette Klever said the matter is under national-security consultation. ASML shares fell 3% in Amsterdam after the report; analysts said that if the concerns are confirmed, Beijing's advanced-node semiconductor capacity could materially outpace current estimates over the next two years.